1. Technical Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to a fishing line reel which is selectively operable in the right-hand or left-hand mode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The expression "right-hand mode" means among anglers that the angler holds the fishing rod with the reel in his right hand while using the left hand to drive the crank winding the line, whereas "left-hand mode" means the rod and reel are held in the left hand and the crank is driven with the right hand.
It is known to provide a crankshaft passing through the reel for the purpose of accommodating the right-hand and left-hand modes of operation; the two crankshaft ends projecting beyond the reel, with the crank being mounted on either end of the crankshaft depending on the desired mode. However, in this known reel when passing from the right-hand to the left-hand mode, the line will be improperly unwound due to the reverse-lock provided and the disposition of the crankshaft and crank. By simply shifting the crank onto the other end of the crankshaft to shift from the right-hand to the left-hand mode, no change in direction of unwinding takes place, so that unwinding of the lines stays in the same direction. For example, when the initial setting of the reel is the conventional setting, i.e., the right-hand mode, the unwinding line rests against the finger tip. This provides for proper control in casting by the angler. However, when the line is operated from the other side, i.e., the left-hand mode, the line comes to rest on the back of the finger or on the nail of the hand holding the rod and not on the finger tip. Accordingly, when passing from the right-hand to the left-hand mode, the angler is no longer able to guide the line by the finger-tip as required for proper control in casting. Rather, the line rests on the back of the finger so that properly controlled casting by the angler is not possible.